Rocket thrust neutralizer



Sept. 28, 1965 G. FOUNTAIN ROCKET THRUST NEUTRALIZER Original Filed June29, 1960 INVENTOR. GILBERT FOUNTAIN XM 'W ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 2 Claims. (Cl. 102-49) (Granted under Title 35, U8.Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may bemanufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States ofAmerica for governmental purposes without the payment of any royaltiesthereon or therefor.

This is a continuation of United States patent application 'Ser. No.39,742, filed June 29, 1960, for Rocket Thrust Neutralizer, nowabandoned.

The present invention relates to safety apparatus for protection ofaircraft or the like which carry rockets; and more particularly to thetype of non-propulsion attachment shown and described in US. Patents No.2,866,314, issued Dec. 30, 1958 to C. R. Roquemore and No. 2,804,822,issued Sept. 3, 1957 to H. A. Meneghelli.

In the interest of safety, it is the practice to provide on rockets aremovable attachment of the type disclosed in the aforementioned patentswhich renders the rocket non-propulsive until the attachment is removed.In some cases it is also the practice to keep the attachment on therocket even after the rocket has been mounted on the aircraft forlaunching; the attachment then being removed prior to dispatch of theaircraft on a firing mission. However, firing of the rocket whilemounted on the aircraft and with the attachment inadvertently left oncreates an extremely dangerous situation inasmuch as the hot gasesdeflected radially of the rocket of the attachment may then impinge uponstructural portions of the aircraft leading to damage or destructionthereof.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide aremovable attachment for a rocket which not only renders the rocketnon-propulsive but also has means for protecting the carrying aircraftagainst the blast of the hot rocket gases.

A further object is to provide a shield on a non-propulsive attachmentfor a rocket for the purpose of deflecting the hot thrust gases intofore and aft directions without changing the thrust nullifying featureof the attachment.

A feature of the present invention is the provision of cup-shaped meanson a rocket for diverting laterally the hot thrust gases of the rocketand a blast shield circumferentially of the cup-shaped means fordeflecting said hot gases in fore and aft directions with substantiallyequal flow of the gases in said directions to the end that the thrustvectors of the gases balance and cancel out.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description of the inventionwhen considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary schematic View illustrating the relationshipbetween the rocket and the carrying aircraft;

FIG. 2 is a larger scale fragmentary view, partly in section, of therear end of the rocket and the attachment secured thereto, the sectionof the attachment being taken generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken generally along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like partsthroughout the several views, in FIG. 1 is shown a rocket 11 mounted forlaunching on a structural portion 12 of a carrying aircraft in aconventional 3,298,384 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 manner. Removablyattached to the rocket 11 is an attachment .13 which forms the subjectof the present invention.

Viewing FIG. 2 rocket 1 1 may be any conventional type which forsimplicity is illustrated as having a single nozzle 14 surrounded by acylindrical wall 15. The attachment 13 comprises a metallic cup-shapedmember 16 having a cylindrical wall 17 and an end wall 18. Near end wall18 there is formed in wall 17 a plurality of exit ports or openings '19.Disposed about member 16 in the vicinity of openings 19 is a blastshield in the form of a metallic cylinder '21 secured to member 16 bymeans of plates 22, or the like.

Attachment 13 is attached to rocket 11 by fitting wall 17 to thecylindrical wall 15 on the rear end of the rocket. The attachment may beheld to the rocket by means of a plurality of studs 23, or the like,secured to wall 15 and engaged by wall 17 through the medium of bayonetslots 24 in wall 17. Each bayonet slot 24 is formed with an innersloping portion 25 which slopes away from end wall 18. The purpose ofthis sloping portion 25 is to lock the attachment to the rocket byoperation of the motor. This is, should the attachment be connected soeach stud 23 is in contact with its associated portion 25 but notcompletely home in the bayonet slot, the pressure of the nozzle jetwould cause slight rearward movement of the attachment and consequentrotation of the attachment by the camming action between stud 23 andport-ion 25 until each stud 23 is completely home in its slot 24.

Alternatively, the attachment may be attached by threaded engagementbetween walls 1 5 and 17. Also, wall 17 in some cases may be threadedlyconnected to nozzle 14. If desired, an O-ring 26 may be employed for gasflow obturation when wall 15 is made of a lowheat resistant materialsuch as aluminum.

An important feature of the present invention is the relationship of theblast shield cylinder 21 to the openings 19. It will be noted thatopenings :19 are so arranged that for each opening there is adiametrically opposite opening of equal dimensions. Also, the openingsare so located relative to each other that the central axes of theopenings lie generally in a plane disposed substantially perpendicularto the longitudinal axis of the rocket. A further relationship to benoted is that the aforesaid plane is generally along section line 33 ofFIG. 2 and divides cylinder 21 into two shorter cylinders ofsubstantially equal dimensions. That is, the aforementioned planeintersects cylinder 21 substantially midway between the ends thereof.The result is that the hot gaseous thrust jet issuing from nozzle 14 isdeflected or diverted by end wall :18 through exit ports 19 and impingesupon the central portion of the cylinder 21 which in turn deflects ordiverts the hot gas further in fore and aft directions generallyparalleling the longitudinal axis of the rocket. The flow of gas in thefore and aft directions is substantially equal so that the fore and aftthrust vectors balance and the thrust of the nozzle jet is nullified orneutralized.

From the foregoing description it should be clear that in the operationof the thrust nullifying attachment of the present invention, should therocket motor be inadvertently ignited the thrust thereof will beneutralized and the hot thrust gases thereof diverted in fore and aftdirections generally parallel to the rocket so that no damage results tothe carrying aircraft. The attachment is thus effective whether theaircraft is aloft or on the ground.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

3 4 1. The combination of a rocket and a rocket motor of; whereby hotthrust gases issuing from said nozzle thrust neutralizer attachment,said rocket having nozzle means are first deflected laterally of saidrocket and means at the rear end thereof; said attachment co'mthen infore and aft directions generally parallel to prising: said rocket withsubstantially equal flow in each of a cup-shaped member having acylindrical wall and an 5 said directions.

end wall, said cylindrical wall having a plurality of 2. A thrustneutralizing device for a rocket having a openings formed thereinadjacent said end wall; nozzle at its aft end through which hot thrustgases issue a blast shield in the form of a cylinder open at its endsfor propulsion of the rocket, said device comprising:

disposed about said cup-shaped member in the cup-shaped meanssurrounding said nozzle and having vicinity of said openings; 10 l aplurality of laterally directed openings for divertmeans mounting saidblast shield cylinder on said cuping laterally said gases, said openingshaving central shaped member; axes lying generally in a plane; and andmeans attaching said attachment to said rocket with a tubular blastshield disposed about said openings such said nozzle means disposedwithin said cup-shaped that said plane intersects said shieldsubstantially member; 15 midway of the ends thereof for furtherdiverting said said end wall and openings serving to deflect laterallygases substantially equally in fore and aft directions of the rocket hotthrust gases issuing from said nozand rendering said rocketnon-propulsive. zle means, said cylinder serving to deflect in fore andaft directions the hot thrust gases exiting through References Cited ythe Examine! said openings, said openings being arranged sym- 20 UNITEDSTATES PATENTS metrically around said cylindrical wall and with the V2,804,822 9/57 Meneghelli 10249 central axes of said openin s beingdisposed gener ally 2,91 61969 12/59 Pion 89 1 7 in a planesubstantially perpendicular to the central axis of said cylindricalwall, and said blast shield I cylinder being so disposed that said planeintersects BENJAMIN BORCHELT Prlma'y Examiner said cylindersubstantially midway of the ends there- SAMUEL FEINBERG, Examiner.

2. A THURST NEUTRALIZING DEVICE FOR A ROCKET HAVING A NOZZLE AT ITS AFTEND THROUGH WHICH HOT THRUST GASES ISSUE FOR PROPULSION OF THE ROCKET,SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: CUP-SHAPED MEANS SURROUNDING SAID NOZZLE ANDHAVING A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY DIRECTED OPENINGS FOR DIVERTINGLATERALLY SAID GASES, SAID OPENING HAVING CENTRAL AXES LYING GENERALLYIN A PLANE; AND A TUBULAR BLAST SHIELD DISPOSED ABOUT SAID OPENING SUCHTHAT SAID PLANE INTERSECTS SAID SHIELD SUBSTANTIALLY